1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for controlling rearview mirrors from an erected to a folded position, interlocked or not interlocked with the operation of door locking of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the right and left rearview mirrors of a motor vehicle project out largely from the body of the motor vehicle, the mirror case 5 thereof are moved from an erected to a folded position when parking or entering and leaving the garage in order to reduce the projection thereof. In general, such a foldable rearview mirror system comprises an operation switch mounted in the cabin of a motor vehicle, electric motors incorporated in the mirror cases, a rotational motion transmission mechanism turning the mirror cases from the erected to the folded position and vice versa by the rotation of the electric motors, and a controller for controlling the rotation of the electric motors after making the operation switch. However, this conventional rearview mirror system is inconvenient because the rearview mirrors must be folded by operating the switch whenever leaving the motor vehicle in order to hold the rearview mirrors in the folded position. Therefore, in Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 76742/86, the rearview mirrors are folded automatically when the doors is locked after the ignition key is removed, and they are erected when the door is unlocked. In Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 47637/89 is disclosed an apparatus for controlling selectively the folding and erecting of the rearview mirrors interlocked with the door locks according to the logical conditions of detectors for detecting the locked door knob position, the locked doors, the operated steering wheel, the locked engine key, the unlocked engine key, the change-over between MANUAL and AUTOMATIC, as well as the folded and erected rearview mirrors.
In said apparatus for controlling the rearview mirrors described in Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 76742/86, the rearview mirrors can not be folded or erected independently of the door locks because it has no manual operation switch. And according to Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 47637/89 it is necessary to change over between MANUAL and AUTOMATIC and the operation is complicated, which may result in forgotten operations. In addition, the system described in Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 47637/89 requires a lot of switches and the electric motors have the possibility of burnout in an unlocked condition. Since the controlling systems according to both of the Publications have no means for detecting any obstruction which is moved or arranged outside the rearview mirrors after the rearview mirrors have been folded, the rearview mirrors are struck by said obstruction and the cases thereof are broken or damaged seriously if they are erected automatically. In addition, since both controlling systems have no switch for detecting the rearview mirror folded or erected position, a motor lock or a clutch operates till the electric motors stop, which will result in deteriorated electric motors, or displeasure.
The object of the present invention is to provide a system for folding and erecting the rearview mirrors automatically and correctly wherein a door lock controller and an electric folding apparatus are connected with each other by a micro computer.